91 books like The Mongrel Mage

A classic adventure story full of hobbits, trolls, and so much more.

It surprised me how much I enjoyed The Hobbit!

It’s underrated how funny this book is and it’s not as challenging a read as you’d think.

(I also highly recommend the audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis).

I developed a passion for epic fantasy series when I was introduced to Terry Goodkind’s book.

I passionately followed the story of Richard Cypher and Kahlan the Confessor. I followed their story, book after book. The things that the old wizards knew about people are still true today. It was their first rule and why they created Seekers and Confessors. All I need to do is look at the news, check social media, etc., to see how the rule still stands.

People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it to be true or because they fear it might be true.

This book combined the old west with a very thought-out magic system that enhanced the setting. The humor was sometimes tear-drawingly funny for me. The characters seemed alive, complex, and independent. The world seemed real and tangible if not quite like our world. The magic also had a refreshing take and allows for infinite speculation on how the powers might cross-combine. It also had moments of monumental exercises of power as well as monumental limits on powers complicating the storyline.

I like Seventh Son more than I liked Ender’s Game. There, I said it.

Seventh Son draws on legends and mythology that I’ve tasted throughout my life, but weaves a truly awesome tale of coming into power and heroism inside of all of that. Because Alvin is the seventh son, he’s endowed with a powerful potential but the world around him doesn’t want him to find his power. Evil forces do everything they can to stop him.

That sounds like my life at times. I know I have the ability to do special things, but forces outside my control seem to want me to fail. The Tales of Alvin Maker blew my imagination wide open, but also told me I could do anything if I was determined enough.

A book about books.

Who hasn’t imagined the books they read coming to life in their living room or being able to dive into the fictional world? A father and daughter have a magical ability to do just that.

Unfortunately, the villain of one story was released and this sets them off on an adventure typically only available in books.

Meggie and Mo are an endearing father/daughter team while they navigate the consequences and reaches of their magic.

I have read several of Angela Petch’s excellent novels, all set in Tuscany. I lived in Tuscany for two years, and her descriptions not only of the countryside but also the characters that inhabit this special part of the world are spot on. This novel kept my interest, was well-plotted, and a real pleasure to read. Her research into the wartime period is well done, and I love the details about how people lived back then. It really is another world. How our modern world integrates with it, and what we can learn from it, is something I feel she explores really well, by introducing the past to the present through her characters. 

The first in a trilogy of books of magical fantasy set in Renaissance Europe and beyond that looks at magic and witchery at an unusual slant. Centre stage is Damiano Delstrego: son of a wizard and alchemist with an inheritance of Dark Magics. Forced out by war, he goes on pilgrimage to seek the aid of the powerful witch Saara, but the road he is obliged to walk is a dark one. R. A. MacAvoy is another writer I have admired for a long time and I was very sad when ill health stopped her from writing. I believe, however, that she has started to write again, so I can but hope for new novels while recommending her older, skillful work.

Like Mlakar’s book, this book reveals old folk traditions, but in a more explicitly stated and conversational way. For anyone with Italian ancestry who wants to look at the ways that old folk religion hides, adapts, and stays alive under the dominant religion of the area, this is an incredible read—and whether you’re a writer or a witch or both, you’ll find a lot of inspiration from it.

Say what you will about whether or not magic is real: this book reminds us that we’re not all so different from our fantasies—that our imaginations are as real as anything else, and that the world around us brims with power, even if it’s just the power to shift our mindset to look at our situation a different way.

I lived in Rome for one summer, and am in love with the Eternal City. This book transported me not only to Rome but back to the wartime era, and I was gripped. I loved the poetic descriptions of the city and the surrounding countryside, and the characters were strong and believable. At the core of the novel is an agonising choice a young Jewish mother has to make, and the pain of that moment has stayed with me ever since. This novel is not only a joy to read but taught me more about what Italians went through during the Second World War. 

Weather, magic, the power to control the weather, and the power of friendship… This story has all the ingredients I love. Perfect for slightly younger readers, it’s packed with quirky cartoony illustrations and has a wonderful cast of characters, including my favourite: the farting cloud cat, Nim. A gentle magical adventure that will leave young readers looking up at the sky and wondering…